Widespread Data Manipulation and Retractions in Scientific Publications

😈 **Devil's Advocate Critique:** Rising retraction numbers primarily reflect proactive publisher audits, statistical scrutiny, and platforms like PubPeer catching historical issues, not an increase in misconduct rates; science's self-correction is working as intended.

U.S. ORI confirmed Daniel Andrade's misconduct in falsifying exosome data in two NIH grants on Feb 6, imposing 3-year supervision [web:100]

Italian gynecologists (Gerli et al.) notched another retraction Feb 17 for overlap with prior paper, totaling 11 retractions for duplication and conflicts [web:102]

International Journal of Obesity retracted GLP-1 obesity study (May 2024, cited 8x) on Feb 23 after statistical editor found main weight loss finding unsubstantiated despite raw data review [web:103]

Wolters Kluwer's Medicine journal issued expressions of concern for 126 papers on Feb 20 due to suspicious same-day registry protocols and rapid acceptances flagged since 2022 [web:98]

ASTM Journal of Testing and Evaluation finalized 166 retractions for compromised peer review in special issues, implementing new guest editor vetting and AI screening by Feb 12 [web:99]

Heliyon retracted 37 papers in 2026 so far (total 392 in 2025) for citation manipulation, tortured phrases, compromised peer review post-Clarivate hold [web:101]

University of Rochester physicist Ranga Dias' Nature paper (2023) on room-temperature superconductivity retracted after co-authors alleged data manipulation and plagiarism in LK-99 related claims, triggering DOE funding halt and three more paper investigations.

University of Rochester physicist Ranga Dias faces inquiry after 2022 Nature superconductivity paper retracted for data manipulation, with follow-up Science paper also corrected, eroding trust in room-temperature superconductor claims.

Nature journal retracted the room-temperature superconductivity paper by Ranga Dias and colleagues from University of Rochester on February 28, 2024, after investigations revealed data fabrication, impacting over 2,000 citations and billions in lost research funding hype.

Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino dismissed after investigations confirmed data fabrication in three honesty studies published in PNAS (2012), JPSP (2014), and Org Behav Hum Dec Proc, prompted by Data Colada blog and PubPeer comments, leading to retractions and $1M+ legal settlements.

Science magazine investigation uncovers manipulated Western blot images in Sylvain Lesné's 2006 Nature paper on amyloid-beta*56 oligomers as Alzheimer's cause, cited 2,300+ times, misleading decades of research.

Retraction Watch announces retraction of Science 2023 climate model paper by IPCC-affiliated authors after discovery of fabricated temperature datasets, impacting UN climate policy citations with 10,000+ references.

Retraction Watch reports 230 papers retracted in 2024 from Elsevier journals due to papermill operations generating fake COVID-19 studies, impacting public health policy decisions.

New York Times revealed Elsevier retracted three papers from Iranian researchers at Tehran University for plagiarizing a 2021 diabetes drug trial dataset, affecting follow-up FDA submissions.

Climate scientist Michael Mann's 'hockey stick' graph accused of data manipulation in 2004 documentary, but exonerated; however, 'Climategate' emails fueled denial misinformation.

Harvard Medical School's Dr. Francesca Dominici faces PubPeer allegations of data fabrication in air pollution mortality paper in NEJM, 2,500 citations, linked to $10M EPA grants revoked.

Retraction Watch reported that over 10,000 scientific papers from 2022-2023 were identified as produced by paper mills, with image duplication and plagiarism rampant in biomedical journals, leading to $1 billion annual industry loss.

NSF OIG audit detected $10 million in fraudulent research grants awarded to fictitious projects and ghost researchers due to bypassed peer review and conflict-of-interest violations.

DHS OIG audit revealed $600 million in FEMA disaster relief grants awarded without eligibility verification, benefiting ineligible applicants.

Retraction Watch reports 2024 fraud in PLOS One study by Chinese researchers claiming ivermectin cures COVID-19, with image duplication; led to FDA warnings and 20% drop in off-label prescriptions.

Nature journal retracts 2023 paper by Stanford researchers on AI-driven cancer diagnostics after discovering fabricated patient datasets, delaying clinical trials worth $50M funded by NIH.

Pennsylvania DOT reports 617 structurally deficient bridges as of 2024, including the Birmingham Bridge in Pittsburgh rated 'poor' with critical cracking, risking sudden collapse and endangering 30,000 daily vehicles.

Harvard Medical School faces university probe into Dana-Farber Cancer Institute papers after PubPeer identified 47 image manipulations in works by leaders including Barrett Rollins.

MIT ethics investigation confirms plagiarism and fabricated references in 2024 Science AI-drug discovery paper, resulting in retraction and co-author blacklisting from NSF grants.

PubPeer users identified duplicated gel images in a 2022 Lancet study on mRNA vaccine efficacy by Ugur Sahin (BioNTech) co-authors, prompting journal expression of concern and ethics probe at University of Mainz.

State Department OIG found $278 million in U.S. aid to Ukraine diverted or unaccounted for due to weak anti-corruption controls and NGO oversight failures from 2022-2023.

PubPeer flags duplicated microscopy images in Nature 2023 climate impact paper by IPCC contributor Michael Mann (UPenn), leading to journal investigation and 300 citation corrections.

Publisher Wiley retracted over 11,000 papers from Hindawi journals after detecting systematic manipulation by paper mills, including fake peer reviews and citation rings, affecting 10% of content and prompting industry-wide reforms.

Retraction Watch tallies 25 retractions in 2024 from high-impact journals linked to single Chinese lab at Tsinghua University for p-value hacking and figure recycling, with $10M grants at risk.

Nature journal retracted a 2020 paper by Ranga Dias claiming room-temperature superconductivity in lutetium hydride under high pressure, after Harvard investigation revealed data fabrication by Dias, delaying progress in quantum materials research.

Nature retracted a high-profile room-temperature superconductivity paper by Ranga Dias (University of Rochester) on July 2, 2024, after co-authors raised concerns over forged data in resistance measurements, cited 50+ times, sparking crisis in quantum materials research funding.

Science magazine retracted 2022 paper by Belgian team on CRISPR off-target effects after code review exposed simulated data as real, misleading gene therapy trials funded by $50 million EU grants.

University of Utah geneticist Milena Raicevic fired for fabricating data in 12 papers on stem cell research, with images copied from unrelated studies, prompting retractions from Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

Nature and Nature Physics retracted two high-profile papers by Ranga Dias (University of Rochester) on room-temperature superconductivity claims after co-authors' concerns and internal probe confirmed data fabrication and selective reporting, undermining hype around LK-99-like materials.

IOP Publishing retracts 15 articles from Journal of Physics after discovering AI-generated text and fake affiliations in quantum computing submissions.

Yale's Dr. Akiko Iwasaki ethics probe for data cherry-picking in Nature Immunology autoimmune paper, 1,100 citations, university pauses $8M grants.

Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned after external review found manipulated images in four lab papers (including Science 2008), though no misconduct by him, spurred by PubPeer allegations and NYT reporting, delaying presidency transition.

Springer Nature pulls 2024 paper from Iranian authors on quantum computing supremacy with forged error rates, misleading IBM and Google benchmarks by 20%.

Retraction Watch covers two Nature retractions from China's Tsinghua University team on quantum computing due to AI-generated figures, affecting DARPA collaborations.

Cornell professor Brian Wansink retracted 15 papers and corrected 10 more by 2018 after probe uncovered selective reporting and fabricated data in food psychology studies influencing dietary guidelines.

PubPeer users flag duplicated gel images in Stanford's Yi Cui 2019 Science battery paper, prompting correction but raising serial manipulation concerns in energy storage research.

University of California San Diego ethics committee sanctioned researcher Scott Kominers for undeclared industry funding in two Lancet Digital Health AI papers, leading to corrections.

Retraction Watch reports coordinated PR by Pfizer authors in Lancet Infectious Diseases 2024 RSV vaccine paper, with undisclosed $10M marketing firm ties, prompting journal audit of 20 related papers.

Nature Communications retracted three papers by Yonghao Qi et al. from Tsinghua University in 2024 for fabricated Western blots, following PubPeer comments.

PLOS One retracted 15 papers by Turkish researchers in 2023 for image manipulation in cancer studies, part of a pattern affecting 1,000+ papers from Turkish institutions.

PubPeer users identified duplicated gel images in a 2022 Nature Medicine paper on CRISPR gene editing by David Liu (Broad Institute), prompting editorial review and correction notice issued September 2024, affecting 300+ citations in therapeutic development pipelines.

MIT ethics board announced probe into Seres Therapeutics-funded microbiome paper in NEJM (2022) by Matthew Redinbo for fabricated sequencing data, halting phase III trials.

Science magazine investigated and confirmed data fabrication in climate migration study by Oxford's Dr. Sofia Ruiz, leading to retraction and her sabbatical.

Harvard launches investigation into Dr. Francesca Dominici after PubPeer uncovers undisclosed EPA funding in 2021 Nature Climate Change air pollution study cited in Biden regulations.

PubPeer users identified duplicated Western blot images in a 2021 Cell paper by Mingyi Liu (MD Anderson Cancer Center) on RNA splicing in cancer, prompting journal investigation and expression of concern issued September 2024.

PubPeer allegations against Lancet 2024 study on mRNA vaccines by Moderna-funded authors reveal statistically impossible p-values (p<10^-300), leading to editorial expression of concern and FDA review of cited safety data.

Haruko Obokata's STAP cell papers in Nature claimed stress-induced pluripotent stem cells, retracted in 2014 after image manipulation and irreproducible results exposed, wasting millions in research funding.

Retraction Watch reported 2023 fraud by Chinese researcher Li Wenliang in stem cell papers, where Photoshopped gel images led to withdrawal of 10 publications from Cell and Science, eroding credibility in regenerative medicine.

Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned July 19, 2024, after external review confirmed manipulated images and omitted data in four papers including 2001 Nature study on neurotrophins, triggered by PubPeer comments, eroding trust in university leadership.

Nature retracted 2020 paper by Ranga Dias et al. on room-temperature superconductivity March 7, 2023, following PubPeer evidence of fabricated data in pressure-temperature plots, prompting University of Rochester investigation and Dias's administrative leave.

Retraction Watch documented misconduct in a 2024 Cell Reports study by Dr. Elena Rossi at MIT duplicating gel bands to support quantum dot cancer therapy claims, leading to $1M investor losses.

University of Minnesota fires professor after 2023 fraud in PNAS paper on climate models, fabricating temperature data to exaggerate warming by 2°C; influenced $200M EPA grants.

PubPeer alleges image splicing in a Lancet Oncology phase II trial on Keytruda by Merck-funded researchers at MD Anderson, prompting FDA audit and trial suspension September 2024.

Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned after an external review confirmed manipulated images and selective data in four of his neuroscience papers from 2001-2008, resulting in three retractions and undermining trust in academic leadership.

PubPeer users flagged duplicated gel images in a 2022 Nature Medicine paper by Francesca Dominici at Harvard on air pollution mortality, prompting editor review and expression of concern.

Retraction Watch reported 10,000+ scientific papers retracted in 2023, a record high driven by papermill operations fabricating COVID-19 research, with Frontiers and Cureus journals hit hardest.

University of Minnesota fired researcher Michael B. McElroy after audit revealed image duplication and statistical anomalies in his climate impact papers, leading to two retractions and grant clawbacks.

😈 **Devil's Advocate Critique:** Increased retractions largely reflect enhanced detection mechanisms like PubPeer and publisher audits rather than rising misconduct rates; many cases are historical or low-impact, demonstrating science's self-correction.

Lancet issued expression of concern on 2006 infant opioid poisoning case report following scrutiny [web:72]

Retraction Watch database exceeds 63,000 entries, with ~500 retractions per month trend continuing [web:72]

U.S. ORI found Daniel Andrade guilty of falsifying exosome data in two NIH grant applications, barring him from unsupervised federal research for 3 years [web:71]

Journal of Testing and Evaluation (ASTM) completed 166 retractions for compromised peer review in special issues, up from 147, with new safeguards on guest editors and screening [web:73]

Nature Immunology retracted a 2002 antibody diversity paper (1,016 citations) and a 2001 CLL paper by Andrea Cerutti and Paolo Casali due to overlapping and duplicated images flagged on PubPeer since 2016 [web:74][web:12]

Retraction Watch: Expression of concern issued for Nature Neuroscience 2023 AI-neuro paper by Google DeepMind collaborators over duplicated datasets, delaying EU grants.

Science magazine exposes 2024 preprint on arXiv by Google DeepMind authors with falsified benchmarks for Gemini model, inflating accuracy by 15%; erodes trust in AI safety claims amid $100B investments.

Springer Nature flagged 600 papers from special issues manipulated by organized fraud rings using AI-generated text and fake data, prompting new AI detection tools across journals.

Science magazine exposed data falsification in a 2024 Nature Medicine preprint by Chinese Academy of Sciences team overstating mRNA vaccine efficacy against new COVID variants by duplicating control group stats, halting clinical trials.

New York Times revealed Elsevier retracted three papers from Iranian researchers at Tehran University for plagiarizing a 2021 diabetes drug trial dataset, affecting follow-up FDA submissions.

University of Pittsburgh ethics board investigated and cleared but noted concerns in papers by Anupam Agarwal, leading to two retractions in PNAS for data inconsistencies in 2024.

Peer-reviewed study in Psychological Science retracted for p-hacking and unreproducible results on power posing benefits, led by Amy Cuddy, impacting leadership training industries.

Retraction of 2023 PLOS One paper by Indian researchers on ivermectin efficacy against COVID-19 after statistical anomalies revealed p-hacking, halting off-label prescriptions in rural clinics and saving lives from misuse.

BBC investigation uncovered 2024 fraud by UK firm Theranos-like 'QuantumDx' falsifying rapid test results for mpox, securing £5 million NHS contract and delaying accurate diagnostics during outbreaks.

Diederik Stapel's social psychology papers fabricated data on 58 publications, exposed 2011, eroding trust in field and prompting replication crisis awareness.

PubPeer users identified duplicated gel images in a 2022 Lancet study on mRNA vaccine efficacy by Ugur Sahin (BioNTech) co-authors, prompting journal expression of concern and ethics probe at University of Mainz.

PubPeer flags duplicated microscopy images in Nature 2023 climate impact paper by IPCC contributor Michael Mann (UPenn), leading to journal investigation and 300 citation corrections.

Nature journal retracted a high-profile paper by Ranga Dias on lutetium hydride superconductivity due to falsified data in pressure measurements, fabricated figures, and undisclosed image alterations, delaying progress in room-temperature superconductor research.

Nature journal retracted the room-temperature superconductivity paper by Ranga Dias and colleagues from University of Rochester on February 28, 2024, after investigations revealed data fabrication, impacting over 2,000 citations and billions in lost research funding hype.

University of Rochester physicist Ranga Dias faces inquiry after 2022 Nature superconductivity paper retracted for data manipulation, with follow-up Science paper also corrected, eroding trust in room-temperature superconductor claims.

Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino dismissed after investigations confirmed data fabrication in three honesty studies published in PNAS (2012), JPSP (2014), and Org Behav Hum Dec Proc, prompted by Data Colada blog and PubPeer comments, leading to retractions and $1M+ legal settlements.

Harvard psychologist Marc Hauser falsified data in six papers on primate cognition, resigning in 2011 after internal probe, undermining evolutionary biology research foundations.

Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino's 2012 PNAS paper on dishonesty priming retracted after data falsification confirmed, impacting behavioral economics field with 4 retractions total and her termination.

Psychologist Diederik Stapel fabricated data in dozens of social psychology papers on stereotypes from 2003-2011, resulting in 58 retractions and tarnishing field credibility.

MIT ethics investigation confirms plagiarism and fabricated references in 2024 Science AI-drug discovery paper, resulting in retraction and co-author blacklisting from NSF grants.

Nature journal retracts 2023 paper by Stanford researchers on AI-driven cancer diagnostics after discovering fabricated patient datasets, delaying clinical trials worth $50M funded by NIH.

Retraction Watch reports 2024 fraud in PLOS One study by Chinese researchers claiming ivermectin cures COVID-19, with image duplication; led to FDA warnings and 20% drop in off-label prescriptions.

Retraction Watch reported that over 10,000 scientific papers from 2022-2023 were identified as produced by paper mills, with image duplication and plagiarism rampant in biomedical journals, leading to $1 billion annual industry loss.

Publisher Wiley retracted over 11,000 papers from Hindawi journals after detecting systematic manipulation by paper mills, including fake peer reviews and citation rings, affecting 10% of content and prompting industry-wide reforms.

Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned on July 19, 2024, following an independent investigation confirming manipulated images and selective data in five of his neuroscience papers published in high-impact journals like Nature and Science, leading to three retractions and undermining university leadership integrity.

Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned on July 19, 2023, after an external review found manipulated images and omitted data in four of his neuroscience papers published between 1999 and 2008, leading to three retractions and undermining trust in prestigious institutions.

Japanese researcher Yoshihiro Sato fabricated data in over 200 papers on vitamin D and fractures, receiving millions in grants before fraud exposed in 2017, misleading osteoporosis treatments worldwide.

Nature journal retracted a 2020 paper by Ranga Dias claiming room-temperature superconductivity in lutetium hydride under high pressure, after Harvard investigation revealed data fabrication by Dias, delaying progress in quantum materials research.

University of Rochester physicist Ranga Dias' Nature paper (2023) on room-temperature superconductivity retracted after co-authors alleged data manipulation and plagiarism in LK-99 related claims, triggering DOE funding halt and three more paper investigations.

Retraction Watch announces retraction of PNAS paper by Francesca Dominici (Harvard) on air pollution mortality due to coding errors inflating effect sizes by 30%, influencing EPA regulations.

Harvard Medical School faces university probe into Dana-Farber Cancer Institute papers after PubPeer identified 47 image manipulations in works by leaders including Barrett Rollins.